The Present Disclosure relates, generally, to a connector.
Electronic devices typically include card connectors to allow various types of memory cards to be used. In order to make them easier to use, connectors are increasingly equipped with a push/push structure, in which a memory card is pushed in to both insert and remove the memory card. In such connectors, a sliding member engaging and holding the memory card is moved by the rebound force of a spring when the memory card is ejected. However, it is difficult to remove the memory card because the memory card and sliding member do not disengage.
However, a technique has been proposed in which the sliding member is configured so as to be able to swing, and the sliding member is swung to disengage the memory card and the sliding member when the memory card is ejected. An example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-296729, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIG. 15 is a planar view of a conventional connector. In FIG. 15, 811 is the housing of the connector which is made of an insulating material, and this housing has a plurality of metal connecting terminals 851. Also, 861 is the shell of the connector which is a metal plate and is mounted on the upper side of the housing 811. A memory card 901 is inserted into the space between the shell 861 and the housing 811, and the connecting terminals 851 make contact with the corresponding contact pads (not shown), arranged on the front end of the memory card 901.
A card guiding mechanism is arranged in a side portion of the housing 811, and the sliding member 821 in the card guiding mechanism has a first engaging member 821a and a second engaging member 821b which engage an engaging recessed portion 972 formed in the side face of the memory card 901 and the front corners of the memory card 901 to hold the memory card 901 while sliding vertically in the drawing. The sliding member 821 is biased in the ejection direction of the memory card 901 (upward in the drawing) by a coil spring 882. Also, a heart-shaped cam groove 822 is formed in the upper face of the sliding member 821, and the free end of a pin member 881 is engaged in the cam groove 822. In this way, a memory card 901 can be inserted and ejected using a so-called push/push operation.
Here, a first guide 815A and a second guide 815B extending vertically in the drawing are formed in the bottom wall of the housing 811. Recessed portions not shown in the drawing are formed in the bottom face of the sliding member 821 to engage the first guide 815A and the second guide 815B. In this way, the sliding member 821 can smoothly slide along the two parallel guides, the first guide 815A and the second guide 815B.
A protrusion (not shown) is formed on the upper end of the first guide 815A in the drawing. When the sliding member 821 moves in the ejection direction and reaches the position shown in the drawing, the recessed portion in the bottom face of the sliding member 821 is caught by the protrusion. Because a protrusion is not formed in the second guide 815B, the recessed portion in the bottom face of the sliding member 821 can move through the second guide 815B. Therefore, when the sliding member 821 is moved in the ejection direction beyond the position shown in the drawing, the sliding member 821 rotates counterclockwise around the protrusion. This disengages the first engaging member 821a of the sliding member 821 from the engaging recessed portion 972 of the memory card 901. Then, the memory card 901 is released from the hold of the sliding member 821, and can be easily removed.
In a conventional connector, two parallel guides have to be formed in the bottom wall of the housing 811, the first guide 815A and the second guide 815B. As a result, the width dimension of the housing 811 has to be increased. The width dimension has to be further increased because the sliding member 821 slides along the two rails. Thus, the overall width dimension of the connector has to be increased and it becomes more difficult to make the connector more compact.